The invention relates to the technical field of fiber-optic ribbon cables and, more precisely to a process and a tool enabling a part of the encapsulating material to be removed to bare the fibers that it contains.
A fiber-optic ribbon cable is known to be constituted by a plurality of optical fibers generally arranged side by side to form a strip or band, and embedded in an envelope constituted by an encapsulating material, for example a polymer, which forms the flexible ribbon and protects the fibers.
This encapsulating material has to be easily removable, at least over a certain length, so as to bare the fibers when, for example, a splice has to be effected. Hitherto, this operation was carried out by hand, given the pieces of encapsulating material that had to be removed from the optical fibers.
To obviate this drawback, the Applicant has developed a tool that makes it possible both to effect incisions at desired points in the ribbon, and also to remove the encapsulating material, after the incisions have been made.